Taboo Baby
by ReadingRed
Summary: Sequel to Desperate. A young victim's start in life is the definition of tragic. Will Olivia and Elliot be able to bond together and give the little boy the family he deserves?
1. Friday's Findings

**This is the sequel to Desperate. I don't think it's 100% necessary to have read that one first, but I would if I were you.**

Disclaimer: I don't own Law & Order: SVU

Title: Taboo Baby

Author: ReadingRed

Chapter One: Friday's Findings

"Baby Boy Doe, six pounds two ounces, Caucasian." The doctor said, briefing them before they went in the NICU to see the baby. While the doctor spoke, Benson was putting on a blue gown over her clothes and Stabler was washing his hands.

"How long was he in the trash?" Benson asked still shocked at what had been done to the infant. It seemed that no matter how long she was on this job; no matter how bad things looked, someone would do something worse. Throwing a baby out in the trash to die was just about the worst thing Benson could imagine anyone doing. It was so unnecessary. The mother could've given the baby up for adoption or even dropped it off at a fire station or an emergency room and under the Safe Haven law she would've been safe from any prosecution. Instead she decided to throw the baby out with the trash.

"He couldn't have been born more than two, three hours before they found him" the doctor answered. He led them through the glass doors and into the NICU to see the baby.

"Garbage truck was a block away" Elliot said silently thanking God that someone had found the baby in time. If the truck had come just a little sooner the baby would have been picked up with the trash unnoticed and would be dead by now.

"His umbilical cord was clamped off with this or he would've bled to death" said the doctor holding up a baggie with a plastic clip inside covered in blood. Benson took the bag and held it up looking inside.

"Gourmet Coffee" she read.

"Guess he interrupted breakfast" Stabler quipped. "What are his chances?"

"He was lethargic from dehydration and hypothermia but otherwise healthy. We got fluids and formula in him and some nice warming lights and he perked right up" the doctor led them over to an isolate with a crying baby inside. The small child had an IV stuck in his arm and was crying at the top of his lungs voicing his displeasure. Elliot's heart stopped. It was the same feeling he got each time he saw his children for the first time, the same intense protective feeling, the same rush of love and affection. It surprised him. He didn't even know who this baby was and he loved him.

"He never got to bond with his mother. He needs all the human contact he can get" the doctor said seeing that both Benson and Stabler were wanting to touch the baby.

Benson looked down at the infant. He was beautiful with a light dusting of dark hair. The baby's face was scrunched and he was crying but his skin was clear and pink. He was wonderful. She felt a connection she had only ever felt when she was around Tommy. The world seemed to melt away as if it was only she, Elliot, and this tiny baby who existed.

Olivia snapped back to reality when the doctor said the baby needed human contact. This was Elliot's domain, as the father of five he was well acquainted with babies, aside from little Eli, Benson had never been around infants. Tommy had been four years old when he came to live with her.

Olivia knew that Elliot would give the baby some of the contact that he needed. She looked over at Elliot with a small smile on her face; he wasn't paying attention to her though, just as she suspected his focus was on the baby. She watched him slide his hand into the isolate and gently stroke the baby's tiny fist.

The child quieted at his touch, the cries softened to whimpers and the baby tried to turn his head to Elliot's hand. Stabler grinned; his kids had done the same thing when they were little.

"Welcome to the world there, tough guy" Stabler told the child.

Already the boy had been through so much. He was not even a day old and already he was alone in the world. Benson and Stabler stayed with the baby for about an hour. The nurse let Olivia feed the baby a bottle of formula and after that the little guy fell asleep.

Benson and Stabler left to go see what they could get from the crime scene.

"Sanitation picked up all the garbage. Dog owner kept them from hauling away our crime scene" said the crime scene investigator as he led Benson to the place where the baby had been found.

"Let's hope the mother didn't have twins." Benson said looking down at the pile of bloody items.

"Baby was stuffed in a bag with these old clothes and sheets. Box was meant to be his coffin" the man said sadly.

"Any identifying marks on it?" Benson asked hoping for a lead. She looked at the pile of trash strewn across the sidewalk. What woman would pick this place to be her baby's final resting place? What kind of monster must someone be to let their baby die like a rat in a pile of garbage? The crime scene investigator pulled her out of her musings with more information about the case.

"No, placenta must've been wrapped in that" he said pointing to a bloody t-shirt to Benson's left.

"The sheets she gave birth on. There's a lotta blood." Benson said as she carefully picked up the blood covered sheets to examine.

"Yeah, stains are probably amniotic fluid." The CSI told her.

"Low tread count but nice stitching on the border, color's taupe" Benson placed the sheets back down on the pavement and looked around the neighborhood. "Who lives here?" Benson asked pointing to the house closest to where the baby had been dumped.

"Joe and Candice Sheppard, Fin's inside with them now."

"What do we know about them?"

"Based on an anthropological profile of their garbage. He's a conservative, she's a liberal. Favorite food is mu shu pork from Wok This Way, had it delivered three times this week."

"Sounds like somebody had a craving" Benson said.

"I don't think Mrs. Sheppard could've been pregnant."

"Why not?"

"She's fifty-one years old."

After following a lead from the Sheppard's, Benson went to a local coffee shop to check out a potential baby dumper, a woman who panhandles outside the café. Benson saw the woman trying to persuade passersby to give her money. The woman was clearly pregnant, and just as clearly unstable.

Benson convinced the woman to go to a hospital to see if the baby was alright. Surprisingly the woman was not pregnant but instead had a rare medical phenomenon called pseudocyesis that mimicked the signs of pregnancy. Needless to say that lead led nowhere. They decided to end for the day; well actually Cragen sent them all home, because, for now, the case wasn't going anywhere.

Benson couldn't get the little boy off her mind so she decided to go see him, but first she had to pick her son up from after school care. Tommy's elementary school wasn't far from the precinct so her drive was a short one.

Benson parked right outside the front doors and went inside. She made her way to the gym where the kids in the after school program spent their time. The doors to the gym were closed but she could see Tommy through the glass pane. He was shooting baskets with another little boy. Tommy threw the basketball through the hoop and he and the other boy cheered when the ball reached its goal. Benson watched her adopted son jump up and down, his hands thrown up in the air.

She loved seeing her little man happy, after what he had been through in his short life she was amazed he had somehow become the happy healthy little boy she saw before her. Olivia opened the door to the gym and told the teacher with the clipboard which child she was here for, the teacher nodded and wrote down Tommy's name and Benson went to collect her son.

"Tommy" she yelled over the sound of the many children in the gym. Tommy heard her voice and looked around the gym searching her out.

"Mommy!" He shouted dropping the ball and racing over to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist hugging her tight.

"Did Elliot come too?" He asked craning his head to the side trying to look past her to see if her partner was there. Her partner and son had formed a tight bond after Elliot helped rescue Tommy from his abusive father. Elliot and she agreed that boys needed strong role models and Tommy's biological father was anything but, so now that Elliot had his kids full time he would take Tommy most weekends to spend time with Maureen, Kathleen, Dickie, Elizabeth, and Eli.

"Nope, sorry bud just you and me. Hey, I met someone today who is very special and he told me he'd really like to meet you. What do ya say? You want to meet my friend?"

Tommy looked up concern written all over his face. "A boyfriend?" He asked cautiously. She hadn't dated anyone seriously since she adopted Tommy but she had gone out a few times. Tommy hadn't liked it and she understood why.

Tommy's biological father had killed his mother when Tommy was only four years old, as if that wasn't bad enough Tommy had watched the entire ordeal. It had been just over a year since then and the memories had started to fade, but certain things would trigger the memories. Olivia knew the boy still wasn't comfortable around most men and that Olivia dating someone would scare him. Tommy was afraid that her boyfriend would kill her too.

The last time Olivia had gone on a date Tommy had nightmares for a week. She knew that someday she would start dating again and she would have to help Tommy be ok with that, but for now she wasn't going to push the issue. She had no plans to date anyone anytime soon, she was happy to spend her free time with Tommy, Elliot, and the Stabler kids.

"No babe, not a boyfriend" that answer calmed him and a smile took over his face.

"Okay!" Tommy said happily. Together they exited the school and drove to the hospital.

"He's not sick is he?" Tommy asked.

"No he's not. The doctors want to keep an eye on him so he's going to stay here for a while" Benson said taking Tommy's hand in hers. She led him to the elevator and let him push the button to level six. The doors opened and Tommy had a flash of recognition.

"Hey this is Eli's hospital!" Tommy said, referring to Elliot's baby boy. Benson had taken Tommy to visit Eli here when the baby was still in the hospital. Eli's birth had been traumatic.

Kathy and Benson had been driving to a doctor's appointment when they were hit by another car. The crash caused Kathy to go into early labor. She delivered Eli fine, she even named him, but soon after the birth, complications from the crash caused internal bleeding that the doctor's didn't catch in time and Kathy had died.

Eli was now seven months old and the family was starting to pull itself back together. Stabler had rearranged his schedule as best he could and now he had most weekends off and was usually home by six on weekdays, if he wasn't Benson would try to be there to pick up the slack.

"Yeah it is. I'm surprised you remember. That was a couple of months ago." Benson said smiling at the five year old. "But we're not here to see Eli" they went to the nurses' station and Benson showed her badge and told the nurse who they were there to see. The nurse smiled at Benson and Tommy and took them to the nursery where Baby Doe had been moved. The lady motioned to the door indicating that it was the room the baby was in.

"Looks like this baby has quite the following" the nurse quipped before leaving. Before Benson had time to think on that statement Tommy opened the door and went in. Inside the room were Elliot, Maureen who was holding baby Eli, Kathleen, Dickie and Elizabeth all of them crowded around a small bassinette that held the sleeping newborn.

"Elliot!" shouted Tommy. He ran over and pounced on the man, it was only through years of experience at being a father that gave Elliot the quick reflexes to catch the small child.

"Hey buddy" Elliot said to the child before placing him down on his feet. Stabler looked over the heads of his children and smiled at Benson. "Looks like you had the same idea."

"Yeah, I guess so" Benson said laughing. "It just didn't feel right going home a leaving this little guy here all alone" Olivia walked farther into the room and looked down at the baby, he was just as beautiful as before.

"Mommy, what's his name?" Tommy asked.

"What?"

"What's the baby's name?" Tommy repeated. Benson looked at Stabler and he looked back at her.

"Tommy… this baby doesn't have a name." Benson said, deciding to be vague on the details. She wasn't sure what Elliot had told his kids and didn't really know how to explain that this baby's mother was more concerned about which trash pile to throw him in than what she was going to call him.

"He's gotta have a name, how else will we know what to call him? We should give him one" Tommy said looking around at the others in the room searching for someone to second his decree. "Elliot, can we pllleeeessssee give him a name?" Tommy said giving Elliot his patented pouty look. Elliot looked up at her and shrugged his shoulders.

"It can't hurt. I mean it won't be official or anything, but he's right, every kid needs a name" Elliot said. Cheers went up from the kids in the room. Maureen, Kathleen, and Elizabeth huddled together and Dickie and Tommy did the same, all five kids trying to come up with the best name for the baby.

"Any ideas?" Benson asked Elliot. She had sat down in a chair close to the bassinette so she could be near the child; Elliot had done the same on the other side.

"I wanted to name Dickie, James, but Kathy didn't like it. You got any ideas?" He said looking over the top of the bassinette so he could see her face.

"Well Tommy's full name is Thomas Aaron Benson. When I adopted him I gave him the middle name Aaron because he hadn't had one at all before. That had been my favorite name; I really like James though, maybe James Nathaniel, we could call him Jamie for now." Before Elliot could reply both groups of kids came over. Maureen's group went first, led by the eleven year old.

"Okay, we all like the name Johnny or maybe Andrew and we could call him Andy." Maureen said, nine year old Kathleen and seven year old Elizabeth nodding along with her. The boys went next, Dickie taking the lead.

"Well me 'n Tommy wanna call him Andrew too, maybe we could call him Ender like from those books ya know?" Dickie said.

"What do you guys think of the name James?" Elliot asked.

"It's nice" said Maureen, and of course the younger girls agreed with her. Elizabeth agreeing convinced her twin, and Dickie liking it was good enough for Tommy.

"Well then how about we call him James Andrew, or maybe Jamie?" Benson asked the kids. All the kids grinned at that and Dickie and Tommy gave each other high fives. Benson looked down at the sleeping baby.

"Welcome to the world, James Andrew."


	2. Saturday's Sorrow

Disclaimer: I don't own Law & Order: SVU

Title: Taboo Baby

Author: ReadingRed

Chapter Two: Saturday's Sorrow

The next day they went back to the precinct and started from the beginning. They went over maps of the area looking for places the mother might've given birth. Benson and Stabler knew it had to have been close by if the mother was to one who dumped the baby. She would not have wanted to walk far after just giving birth.

"What kind of mother would dump a baby like that?" Cragen asked.

"A Drunken Genius" Munch said. Before anyone could ask what he meant he continued.

"Crime lab cleaned the t-shirt the placenta was wrapped in. Blood obscured a logo, 'Einstein's Drunken Genius.' " Munch pinned a picture of the bar that hosted the event up on the board. Fin was familiar with the bar from his days back in narcotics and soon they were on their way to the bar to track down the owner of the t-shirt.

Turns out the bar was only six blocks from where the baby was dumped and closer still to the campus of Manhattan Institute of Technology. Fin and Munch questioned the owner of the bar and got a list of people who had won t-shirts like the one the placenta had been wrapped in and Benson went to question a few of the people from the list.

Benson knocked on the dorm room door of a female winner named Heather. The girl answered, she wore a tight fitting top and even tighter pants. Heather didn't appear to have been pregnant lately.

"NYPD, I'm Detective Benson. Are you Heather Donovan?" The girl nodded. "I need you ask you about a shirt you won at Einstein's. Do you remember the shirt?"

"I don't want to think about how many brain cells I had to kill to win that moronic shirt. It didn't even fit me." The girl said.

"Do you still have it?" Benson asked hoping to cross a name off her list and maybe get one step closer to finding the mother of Jamie.

"My ex-roommate borrowed it. Never gave it back."

"What's her name?"

"Ella Christenson. She moved into a single down the hall." Benson nodded and took down the girl's name and room number. Benson walked down the hall and knocked on the door Heather had indicated. The girl who answered, Ella, wore a baggy sweatshirt. She didn't look like she had been pregnant either but the sweatshirt covered her up very well and could've been hiding any evidence that she had been carrying a child.

"Ella Christenson?" The girl nodded. "I'm Detective Benson, NYPD. I'd like to ask you a few questions. Your old roommate Heather told me she lent you a 'Drunken Genius' t-shirt. Do you still have it?"

"I'm pretty sure I gave that shirt back to Heather" Ella stated.

"Well, she's positive that you still have it" Benson said, not in the mood to play games with this girl, especially not if she were the one who dumped Jamie in the trash.

"Okay, well I can look" Ella said letting Benson into her room.

"Thanks" Benson entered the room. She looked around; it seemed like just another normal college kid's dorm room, not the room of a girl who would throw away her baby like yesterdays garbage.

"I think I only wore it once to work out in" Ella told her as she looked through a chest of drawers searching for the t-shirt. Benson was still looking around the room. In the corner she saw a microwave, and on top of the microwave were coffee bags with plastic clamps identical to the one that had closed off the baby's umbilical cord. Benson walked over to the stash of coffee and picked up a bag.

"That's quite the coffee addiction you got."

"Well with my course load I have to."

"Gourmet Coffee" Benson read off the label. It was the same brand that was found clamped to the baby's umbilical cord. "You're missing a clip."

"Huh? Excuse me?" Ella asked, seeming flustered.

"How you doing with that t-shirt?" Benson asked, almost positive that this girl was the mother of the baby. She set down the bag of coffee and walked to the other side of the room, next to the bed.

"Sorry Heather must be mistaken" Ella said as she looked up from the drawer. Ella sat down on the floor right next to the door.

"I love these pillow cases, nice border, what is that taupe?" Benson said, fingering the edge of the pillowcase.

"Yeah, I guess" Ella said, getting more flustered. Benson threw back the comforter from the bed and showed the bright blue sheets underneath.

"What are you doing!" Ella shot up from her place on the floor and crossed the room to stand next to Benson at the head of the bed.

"Where are the matching sheets?" Benson asked.

Ella had nothing to say so Benson brought her in for questioning. Benson and Ella were already in the interview room when Stabler walked in.

"So how old are you Ella?" Benson asked

"Twenty" the girl answered. She looked nervous but not guiltily.

"Twenty, just a kid" Benson replied. "Way too young to be starting a family."

"Yeah. It's not even something I've thought about" Ella said shyly. If she was the perp, she was doing a damn good job of not acting like it. "I'm not pregnant."

"Not anymore" Elliot said chiming in for the first time.

"I've never been pregnant."

"So would you consent to a medical exam?" Benson asked.

"Why?"

"To eliminate you as the person who gave birth in that dorm room."

"No one gave birth in my dorm room. I don't even know anyone who's been pregnant" Ella said, her calm façade cracking slightly.

"You look just like him" Stabler said, breaking his silence. Elliot was looking at the girl with tears in his eyes. He couldn't understand this girl. He had five kids of his own and thought of each one as a miracle. Being a parent was hard but he never once thought of throwing his baby away like this girl did.

"Who?" Ella asked her voice quivering the slightest bit.

"Your son" Elliot said sliding a stack of pictures across the table towards the girl. Elliot and the kids had taken the pictures the day before when they were all at the hospital visiting with Jamie. There were seven of them in total. Five taken by Elliot's oldest four children and Tommy, and the last two by Benson and Stabler.

"I don't, I… I don't have a son" Ella stuttered out not even glancing at the pictures of little Jamie.

"You carried him nine months. You didn't want him? You had legal options. You have a problem with abortion, that's your choice. I understand that" Stabler said. Benson could tell Elliot was getting mad. She could understand his anger. It was the anger of a parent when their child was in danger. She understood because she was feeling it too.

"There's adoption. You chose to give birth" Elliot was yelling now. Trying to get this girl to face what she had done.

"You have the wrong person" was all Ella had to say.

"You chose to walk six blocks with him, right past a fire house, a hospital where under Safe Haven laws you could've just left him anonymously" Elliot was in her face, yelling trying to get a confession out of her. Looking for any shred of guilt in her face over what she had done to Jamie.

"Why are you yelling at me?" she asked, just as calm as Stabler was upset.

"Because you tossed him in the trash, like the garbage you are" Elliot yelled and Olivia just sat back. Her mind filled with images of little Jamie and Tommy. What this woman had done to that little boy was unforgivable. It was monstrous.

"All those choices. How is that even an option?" He wasn't yelling anymore. Stabler just looked at the girl. Looking at the face so similar to Jamie's and yet so very different. Jamie was pure innocence and potential. This girl was just evil. Cragen came into the room and called both Benson and Stabler out.

"I don't see her lawyering up on us" Benson said.

"Interrogation 101, Overcoming Resistance with Compassion" Cragen quoted as if from a handbook, gently berating Stabler for his tactics with the girl.

"I can't. Not with this one" Elliot said. He collapsed into a chair by the wall and rubbed his face with his hands. This case was getting to him. It was as if Ella had hurt his child and not her own.

"It's Saturday" Benson told Cragen.

"Holding that kid that she just threw away. No, I just deal with her like a normal person. That baby is perfect, there was no reason, no reason at all for her to want to get rid of him" he says shaking his head missing the comment Benson made to Cragen.

"You're supposed to be with your kids" Cragen said.

"The day's half gone and I'm still here" Elliot said shaking his head again.

"Look, Captain, DNA's gonna close the case on this one" said Olivia.

"Go on, be with your kids" Cragen told him. Elliot followed orders for once and got up. As he was heading out the door, Benson stopped him.

"Do you mind if Tommy comes with you?"

"No of course not, I was going to ask if I could take him" he smiled at her. It was the first smile she had seen from him all day.

"Thanks. What do you say we all meet for pizza tonight? You, me, and a couple of kids?" Olivia asked.

"It's a date" Elliot said on his way out the door.

**AN: So here's another chapter, thanks to everyone who reviewed or added in to their alert or favorites list. **

**One reader found it annoying that I call Olivia and Elliot, Benson and Stabler, and I want to know if anyone else is feeling the same way. **

**I wrote these past two chapters, and the entire story 'Desperate', using both names. I did this for two reasons, one being that they are often called Benson and Stabler in the show, and two I've tried to write it so that when they are speaking of personal matters they are Elliot and Olivia, and when they're at work or on the case, they're Stabler and Benson. **

**Now that all being said I want to ask you all if it annoys you reading the names Benson and Stabler, instead of Olivia and Elliot. If enough people say yes, that it does, I'll edit the chapter's I've already written and write the new ones using only the names Elliot and Olivia. **

**Thanks, I can't wait to hear back. **


	3. Saturday's Suffering

Disclaimer: I don't own Law & Order: SVU

Title: Taboo Baby

Author: ReadingRed

Chapter Three: Saturday's Suffering

As Elliot left to be with the kids Olivia turned back to Cragen. He stood by the two way mirror and looked at the suspect. Cragen didn't turn even when Benson walked up behind him. He just started to speak, still looking through the window at the girl.

"Munch and Fin are executing the search warrant on the dorm." Cragen told her.

"So that should enough for a court order for DNA?" She asked, hoping that the case will be settled soon. Jamie needs a family and the sooner this case is settled the sooner he can have one.

"You just keep her from leaving until it comes through." Cragen ordered before he leaving. Olivia entered the interrogation room Ella is in. She took a seat next to the girl she droped a file down on the table.

"Manhattan Institute of Technology? That's impressive. You have to be a genius to get in, don't you?" bashing her with the facts hadn't seemed to work so Benson decided to use flattery.

"I'm on full academic scholarship." The girl said smiling.

"Wow, what's your major?" Benson asked as she collected the pictures of Jamie. It was clear from the way they were laying that Ella still hadn't looked at them. She slipped them into her pocket, they had promised the kids the day before that they each could keep the picture they had taken of Jamie.

"Environmental Engineering." Ella answered quickly; she'd probably been asked that question a million time since she started school.

"So you're what, a junior? That means you have one more year to go." At Ella's nod she continues. "Well, I can understand how devastating that would be, to be so close and have to give it all up." She said with a shake of her head as if saying that if she were in Ella's position she would've done the same thing.

"How much longer do I have to stay here?" Ella asked, starting to look uncomfortable. Benson wasn't even to the hard questions yet and the girl wanted out? Now where's the fun in that? Benson kept going.

"You know what Ella? You'd really be doing me a favor if you could just hang out a little longer."

"You cold?" Benson asked after Ella pulled her knees up to her chest.

"Yeah, it's freezing in here." She complained.

"Then why are you sweating? I can understand why you're so nervous Ella." Benson said before Ella interrupts her.

"I'm nervous because I have to study. I mean seriously, I have to go." Ella said as she stood up from the table. Benson stood too and reached the door a moment before Ella did, stopping the girl in her tracks.

"You know what Ella? Just explain this to me. These are the sheets that were found with the baby." Benson said as she slid pictures out of the folder and held them in front of Ella. "They match you pillowcase. Will you explain that to me?" Benson asked, hoping now that Ella knew they had evidence against her she would give up the charade and tell them what happened. But it was not to be.

"Everybody has those sheets. They're from the university laundry service." Ella said, a slight grin marking her face. Thinking she has Benson beat she tries for the door again only to be rebuffed by Benson a second time.

"Where are your sheets now?" Benson asked, her voice rising slightly, channeling her inner Stabler.

"My pen leaked on them. I threw them away." Ella said desperately. Benson decided then to try another tactic.

"So does your boyfriend go to Man I. T.?"

"I've never dated anyone at school." Ella said looking increasingly uncomfortable. Seeing that Benson wasn't going to let her out of the room, Ella started to pace around the small space.

"Well what about outside of school. You have a boyfriend?" Benson asked, watching Ella pace.

"No."

"Pretty girl like yourself you must have plenty of offers" Benson again tried flattery.

"I've always been more focused on my studies" Ella said as she avoided Olivia's gaze.

Olivia switched topics again, this time asking about school. "How'd your last test go?"

"I might've misplaced an exponential factor but otherwise I think I aced it" Ella said as she held her stomach and pacing faster.

"Are you okay" Olivia asked, noticing that Ella didn't look nervous anymore. She looked in pain.

"Cramps. I think I'm getting my period. I really have to go" Ella said as she opened the door and walked out.

"You know women don't get their period for six to eight weeks after giving birth" Olivia stated following Ella out of the room.

"Really? Then I wish I had given birth" Ella continued her walk through the precinct to the elevators, Benson doing her best to keep up all the while trying to prolong the questioning and get Ella to stay. She just needed to keep the girl here a little while longer. Just until Munch and Fin could find something, anything, incriminating from Ella's dorm room.

"I always find it fascinating how female roommates sync up on their periods. Did that happen to you and Heather?" She truly had always found it interesting, it was just one of those weird things the body did, and she had no clue why it happened. Maybe she should Google it later.

"Not that I know of" Ella said stopping in front of the elevator. Benson noticed that the girl is still held her stomach. At that point Benson was sure that Ella is Jamie's mother; she just wished the woman would admit it already.

"You two get along?" Benson asked.

"She's a sweet girl" Ella said not quite answering the question.

"Then why'd you move out?" Benson asked.

"Think I'm gonna be sick" Ella said leaning up against the wall by the elevator doors. Benson moved in a bit closer, just in case the girl collapsed.

"Ella you need to see a doctor" Benson said, genuinely concerned for the other woman's health.

"No, I just need to go home" Ella said as the elevator arrived. Ella entered the elevator and stayed to one side, leaning on the hand rail for support.

"Ella listen to me, let me take you to a hospital okay?" Benson said, now very concerned. She had wanted the girl to stay but not if it meant she would die. Ella collapsed backward, sending her body farther into the elevator. Benson rushed over and cradled the woman's head in her lap before turning her head back to the squad room and yelling for help.

Just an hour before Benson had wished death on the woman who had thrown little Jamie away, but now she was doing everything she could to save the woman. It was the biggest difference between the two woman shown in plain sight, Ella, who cared nothing about the innocent life of her child had thrown him away and later denied that she had done it, and Olivia, who valued all human life was trying to save the life of the woman who had tried to kill the baby she now loved.


	4. Saturday's Simple

Disclaimer: I don't own Law & Order: SVU

Title: Taboo Baby

Author: ReadingRed

Chapter Four: Saturday's Simple

Elliot left the precinct in a mild state of euphoria. He had a date, well not really considering it would be at a pizza place with six children tagging along but still it was the best he'd had in a while. He was going to spend the rest of the day with his five kids and one almost son. It would be a good day.

As thoughts of one almost-son entered his mind so did thoughts of another. The little boy they had named Jamie just the night before. The child was lying alone in a hospital room. And just like that the euphoric feeling was gone. It was at that moment a plan started to develop in his mind. It would take a lot of work, and a few favors from his friends higher up, but he vowed that it would work.

It was Saturday so the kids were all out of school. Maureen and Kathleen were at a friend's house having spent the night there the night before. Elizabeth, Dickie, Tommy, and Eli were all at the same babysitters. When Olivia had adopted Tommy she didn't know anyone she trusted to watch Tommy so Elliot gave her the name of his babysitter and now Olivia used the girl regularly. Stabler drove first to Marcy the babysitter's house to pick up the younger kids. Marcy lived in a small home in Queens not far from Elliot's own home. He parked by the curb in front of the small yellow house and went up the walk to the door. He knocked and soon after heard thumping footfalls racing to the door. Elizabeth opened the door and pounced on Elliot, she was followed by her twin Dickie and then Tommy.

"Daddy! You're here!" seven year old Elizabeth shrieked.

"Dad, we thought you weren't gonna make it home 'til late." Dickie said before giving Elliot a tight hug.

"Hi Elliot, did my mommy come too?" Tommy asked, looking around Elliot to see if Benson was there with him. Elliot sat Elizabeth down and picked up the smaller child, settling Tommy on his hip.

"No bud, she couldn't make it. She had to help with Jamie's case, but she did say you can hang out with us today and she'll meet us for pizza later."

"Okay" Tommy said simply, giving Elliot's neck a hug. Elliot felt a twinge of sadness for the child. Children of cops got too accustomed to disappointment.

Marcy came to the door holding little Eli. She handed the baby to Elliot carefully after he set Tommy back on his feet. After the kids said goodbye to Marcy and they piled into Elliot's car they drove down the street and picked up Maureen and Kathleen. The girls reacted much the same way as their younger siblings. Now with all his kids with him Elliot was determined to make today a memorable day for all of them.

It was winter so outdoor activities were out. He decided that they would drop by and see Jamie and then go home and watch movies until it was time to meet Benson at the pizza place. The hospital was in Manhattan so they had to drive back into the city. The drive itself wasn't bad, traffic was as good as it ever got, and they kids behaved well, keeping the volume in the car at a dull roar.

Elliot loved just being with his kids, it didn't matter if they were just driving through the city or at Disney world, his kids had a way of making every trip fun. Right now they were playing a game Elliot had made that was great when driving in area's with a lot of traffic. The game was simple, players would look out the windows of the car and try and guess what kind of person was driving a car up ahead. He was listening to the kids as they guessed. Right now they were deciding whether the driver of a beat up blue two door pick-up truck would be a really old guy or a teenager who didn't know how to drive.

"I'm telling you it has to be an old guy, like forty at least!" Maureen said. Elizabeth agreed with her adding "Yeah, I think he'll be old with like gray hair and a plaid shirt." Dickie and Tommy weren't convinced. "Naw, he's gotta be young, an old guy wouldn't have trashed his car like that." All the kids were getting into the game except little Eli. The baby had chosen instead to sleep in his car seat while doing his best to ignore his siblings.

Stabler sped up a bit so they were parallel with the truck in question. The kids all craned their necks to see into the cab, even Elliot glanced over. When he did he started laughing, and then the kids did too. They weren't even close with their guess, instead of a man in his teens or forties it was a woman about twenty.

"Awe man, I thought we were right!" exclaimed Tommy. The kids consoled each other on their loss and then moved on, this time profiling the driver of a small green Prius.

Stabler tuned out their game and turned his mind to Jamie and his case. He wondered how Olivia was doing with the mother. He prayed that the woman would confess and they could get some justice for the little boy. The car full of Stabler's arrived at the hospital just in time for visiting hours. They checked in with the nurse and went right to Jamie's room.

"Okay kids remember we gotta be quiet. He might be sleeping." Elliot reminded the children. They filed into Jamie's room as quietly as six children under the age of twelve could and found the baby awake and calmly sucking on his fist.

"Hi Jamie boy" Maureen cooed at the infant. The baby flicked his eyes slowly over to her and then to all the rest in the room. He seemed to smile, although Elliot thought it was just as possible that he had gas. The kids took turns stroking Jamie's hand or head, but not before Elliot made them use hand sanitizer.

They weren't allowed to hold Jamie without a nurse being present because of the IV's in the baby's arms so the visit consisted of five kids cooing and making baby talk to the infant and Elliot standing back watching them with a proud smile on his face.

They stayed for twenty minutes and then the baby fell asleep and they thought it would be a good time to go. Elliot rounded up the kids and took little Eli from Maureen and settled him in his car seat while the older kids said goodbye to the sleeping newborn.

"Bye Jamie" Maureen said, Elizabeth and Kathleen echoing the statement. The girls stepped away from the bassinette and the boys stepped closer. "Bye Ender" both Tommy and Dickie said. They were determined that Jamie be called Ender as a nickname for his middle name, the name they just happened to suggest, and Elliot wasn't going to make them stop.

When the boys were done saying bye to the infant Elliot got his turn. The kids were occupying themselves looking at the different things in the hospital room and Eli was sleeping in a baby carrier on the floor so Stabler could focus on the newborn without worrying too much about what the older kids were up to.

"Hey tough guy, we got to go now but we'll be back soon. I'm sure you want your sleep." Elliot smoothed down the baby's hair gently, planted a gentle kiss on the infants forehead, and then the Stabler's left the building.


	5. Saturday's Sweet

Disclaimer: I don't own Law & Order: SVU

Title: Taboo Baby

Author: ReadingRed

Chapter Five: Saturday's Sweet

Elliot and the kids left the hospital in a solemn mood, none of them quite ready to leave the little boy. It was still early in the day, about one o clock, so they had about five hours until they were to meet Olivia for pizza. Going back home to watch a movie just didn't seem right, the kids needed activity to get their minds off of a certain little boy. Elliot knew just the thing.

They left the car in the hospital parking lot because it wasn't far to where Stabler planned on taking them and it was easier than trying to find a parking place closer. He didn't tell the kids where they were going, wanting to keep it a surprise a little longer.

Soon enough though Maureen caught on and he practically had to hold onto the hood of her jacket to keep her from running off. After nearly loosing Tommy in the crowd of pedestrians Elliot made the kids hold hands, Maureen and Kathleen, Tommy and Dickie, and Elliot had Eli's carrier in one hand and Elizabeth's hand in the other. They arrived at their destination after only a few minutes of walking and the kids forgot about holding each other's hands. As a group they raced through the front doors and into the building. Well his had plan worked, one surefire way to get kids' minds off of something? Take them to Chuck E. Cheese.

The kids rushed to the check-in counter and got their hands stamped, the teenager at the counter even stamped Eli's hand. The baby didn't seem to mind, he just went on sleeping in his carrier.

"Maureen will you take your siblings to a table while I get tokens?" The girl nodded and took Tommy's hand. She managed to corral the other kids to a table and keep them there so Elliot could buy tokens for the games.

Elliot sat Eli's carrier down on the counter and smiled at the teenager behind the counter. "Hi, um how many tokens does it take to keep five kids under age 12 occupied for about two hours?" Stabler asked the kid behind the counter.

The kid looked at him blankly and shrugged, "dude I don't know. Like a hundred for each of them? You can always come back and get more."

Stabler nodded and took out his wallet. "You got any deals if I buy that many?" he asked, not really expecting the kid to say yes.

"Yeah, umm well we have one where you buy forty and get sixty free. It costs ten dollars for the forty token, I guess I can do it five times and that would be 500 tokens like you wanted." The kid looked happy that he could help or maybe he was on commission, either way he took Elliot's money and gave him the tokens.

"Have fun" the kid said as Stabler walked toward his kids, Eli's carrier in one hand and a tray full of tokens in the other. The kids saw him coming and tried to get up from the table but Maureen kept them in place. Elliot was thankful; he'd been ambushed by children who wanted tokens before and it wasn't fun.

Elliot sat Eli's carrier on the floor and divided the tokens into piles of twenty-five when he reached the table; he figured that by giving the kids coins in small groups instead of all at once they'd last longer. The kids each grabbed a pile of twenty-five and ran off to play.

Elliot looked down at Eli. The baby had just woken up and was blinking sleepily. "Not even one thank you. I tell ya, the things I do for my kids, and they just run off." He said as he unbuckled Eli from his carrier and held him.

The boy was only seven months old, barely older than Jamie. Eli could stand a little as long as he had something to hold onto and he loved to bounce. Stabler held onto Eli's hands and let the boy stand on his thighs, and just Stabler knew he would the boy started to bounce. Eli would act like he was about to sit down then he'd straighten his legs and stand back up.

After a while Eli got into a rhythm, up and down, down and up, over and over again. The boy amazed Elliot, his calm demeanor, the way he just watched the world around him, taking everything in, he would make a fine detective when he grew up if he kept studying the world like he was.

After fifteen or so minutes Tommy came running up "Daddy, I mean Elliot. Can I have more tokens please?" The boy said, accidently calling him Daddy.

Stabler was stunned at first but recovered quickly and mumbled out "sure". Tommy grinned, grabbed a pile of tokens, and started to run back to the play area. The boy turned after going a few feet and looked back at Elliot.

"Thanks," he said and then turned back and went to play games.

Elliot looked at the little boy who was still bouncing away and sighed. "What am I gonna tell Liv? Huh buddy what should I tell her?" The baby didn't answer; instead he gave Stabler a grin and kept bouncing.

"Okay, how about 'hey Liv, your son called me Daddy today, pass me a slice of pizza?' Do you think that'd work?" Elliot joked with the baby. When the Eli didn't give him a response Stabler made another try. "How about this one, 'Olivia, Tommy did the funniest thing today, he called me Daddy. Weird huh?' ugh no that won't work. How 'bout I just don't mention it?"

"Mention what Daddy?" Elizabeth asked. Elliot started, where in the world had she come from?

"Umm nothing baby. You want some more tokens?" he asked, guessing that was why she was at the table.

"Yep, thanks Daddy" Elizabeth grinned before sliding a pile of tokens off the table into her hand. She stepped up on her tip toes and kissed his cheek before running off to join her siblings in the play area.

Elliot watched his little girl run off and was reminded of when she and Dickie were babies Eli's age and he would watch them sleeping in their shared crib, and then later when she was a toddler and would race to the door to greet him every night when he came home from work. He remembered her first day of kindergarten, Elizabeth holding one hand, Dickie holding the other, as he walked them to their classroom and said goodbye. Elizabeth went right in shaking the teachers hand like she was an adult while Dickie had needed a little more persuasion. Elliot finally convinced Dickie to give it a try and Dickie went in looking back to check that he was still there every few minutes. Elliot stayed until Dickie stopped looking for him and started playing with the other kids. Dropping his then youngest children off at school had been bittersweet. His little kids were growing up.

Remembering times past with his twins, Elliot's mind turned to little Jamie, and Jamie's irresponsible mother. He couldn't understand why someone would give up all those memories. That woman would never watch her baby sleeping in his crib. She would never be greeted by his little arms wrapping around her leg the moment she walks in the door. She would never hold Jamie's hand on his first day of Kindergarten. All those memories and so many more, Ella threw away, the only upside was that her loss was Jamie's gain. Ella would go to jail for what she did, and Jamie would end up with a loving family.


	6. Saturday's Spurious

Disclaimer: I don't own Law & Order: SVU

Title: Taboo Baby

Author: ReadingRed

Chapter Six: Saturday's Spurious

Benson wrapped a hand around Ella's wrist checking her pulse; it was weaker than normal but still there. Benson murmured encouraging words to the young girl, hoping she would live. Not really for Ella's sake, but so justice could be served.

When the paramedics arrived for Ella and took her to the hospital in an ambulance, Benson followed behind in her car and arrived shortly after Ella. She waited in the lobby as the paramedic's rolled Ella into the hospital and left her with the doctors there.

As the two men filled in the doctors on what they had done for Ella on the way to the hospital Benson listened carefully, although she knew she was too far away to hear anything of importance. After they passed off Ella's chart to the doctor the two men turned to leave, and Benson plotted an intercepting course. She stopped the men just outside the hospital doors and showed them her badge.

"I'm Detective Benson with the Special Victims Unit, what can you tell me about that girl you just brought in?" The two men looked worn out from a long shift at work. The man to her left was an attractive blonde, a little taller than Elliot and his partner was dark haired and just a little bit shorter.

"Not really all that much I'm afraid" the blonde man answered.

"She seemed a little anemic, can't really be sure without running some tests. We just gave her fluids and tried to keep her conscious" his partner added. "Did someone hurt her?"

"We're still trying to figure out what exactly happened. Thanks for your help" Benson said as she left the men and headed back inside to check on Ella.

It didn't take her long to find the doctor, Dr. Akin, who had worked on Ella. She was leaning up against the nurse's station and filling out a chart.

"How is she?" Benson asked out of concern for the girl and for what this would do to their case against her. It was a bit cold coming from Benson but any warm feeling she might have had for Ella went away the moment she remembered how cavalierly Ella threw Jamie in the trash and walked away.

"She'll be fine, thanks to you" the doctor told her as she set Ella's chart down. "It's a good thing you brought her in when you did."

The doctor was in her late forties, and Benson had worked with her before on few cases, mostly rape but a couple where domestic violence cases. The doctor was usually helpful and genuinely seemed to care for her patients, even when they were not the best people.

"Complications from childbirth?" Benson asked somewhat knowingly. It was the only thing that made sense. The girl had been in a police station for hours so whatever was wrong with her had to have happened before she got there.

"I'm afraid I can't tell" the doctor said sorrowfully.

Benson was momentarily confused "you examined her. Isn't it obvious if she just gave birth?" even as she asked the question, Benson could see the doctors face change.

"You're misunderstanding me. I'm saying I can't tell you. I'd be breaching doctor-patient privilege" Dr. Akin said. A part of Benson understood and even respected the doctor for keeping her oath but the other part didn't want to accept that this could be it.

"You examined a suspect before right in front of me" Benson stated, trying to make the doctor see reason.

"I had that patient's consent" Dr. Akins explained remorsefully, looking away from Benson's desperate face.

"This is crazy. I had a court order in the works right before she passed out" Olivia said, her feelings for Jamie making her restless and impatient for answers.

"That's all I need. Come and find me when you have it" Dr. Akins said before walking away, taking Ella's chart with her. Benson watched the doctor enter a patient's room down the hall.

A childlike part of her wanted to chase after and rip the chart from her hands and find out what happened to Ella. The more adult, rational part of her came up with a better plan of action.

The doctor hadn't given her any information but Ella didn't have to know that. Benson decided to talk with Ella and see if she could get the information out of the girl instead of the doctor.

The hospital room was quiet when she entered. A drab painting hung on the farthest wall from the door and a TV that was attached to the ceiling were the only things to look at. Still it was better than a prison cell, meaning it was more than Ella deserved. Benson walked closer to the bed Ella was laying on and announced her presence with a small cough.

"I just talked with Dr. Akin" Benson said with a sigh. "She told me everything."

It was a lie, but one she bet Ella would believe. Ella looked even worse than before; she was sweaty and looked worn out.

Benson started to feel sympathetic for the college student until she remembered another person in a hospital, Jamie, and her resolve was back in a flash.

She was determined to get this girl to tell her what happened and make her take responsibility for her actions. Jamie would get justice.

"Retained products of conception" Ella said tearfully, knowing that the lie is over and that she will have to face her crimes. "That's what the doctor called it. Part of the placenta was still attached to the uterine wall."

"Causing a massive infection" Benson finishes the girl's explanation.

"I was septic, I could've died" Ella said with more emotion than she had showed all day. More emotion than she showed when Stabler gave her pictures of her son.

Remembering the woman's cold reaction, her flat out denial of her son, made Benson want to show this girl what she really thought of her, but Benson knew that would get her nowhere. She decided to put aside her feeling for Jamie and try to treat Ella like just any other perp, one who Benson had no personal connection to. Benson decided that for now, she would play nice.

"Ella, why didn't you go to the doctor earlier to have this baby?" Benson asked.

"I had no idea I was pregnant" Ella wailed. Benson thought it was unlikely, considering how thin the girl was, but it was not unheard of.

"Missing your period for nine months wasn't a clue?" Benson asked skeptically.

"I swear I had no idea. I didn't know" Ella moaned. The girl had tears running down her face, maybe she really was sorry for what she had done. Benson tried to merge the image of this girl in front of her and the one who had sat across from her in the interrogation room. They didn't match, it was the same girl alright, but their demeanor was totally different. That's when Benson knew that she was being played.

Ella couldn't deny that she had had a baby anymore, so now she's come up with a reason why it was okay for her to throw Jamie away. Benson continued the line of questioning.

"You had to have figured it out at some point."

"No, not until it came out of me" Olivia's maternal instinct kicked into high gear. "Jamie is a he, not an it" she wanted to shout at the girl. Benson reigned in her feelings, putting on a calm face. "I couldn't understand why I was still being punished" Ella finished.

"For having sex?" Benson asked.

Ella shook her head. "For being raped."


	7. Saturday's Shocking

Disclaimer: I don't own Law & Order: SVU

Title: Taboo Baby

Author: ReadingRed

Chapter Seven: Saturday's Shocking

They ended their time at Chuck E. Cheese's with a bang. Literally, Tommy set off the noisemakers he had chosen as his prize when Chuck E. was on stage singing, it sent the crowd of children into hysterics and his siblings into a laughing fit. The manager found Tommy surrounded by Elliot's children who were surrounded by crying babies and screaming toddlers, terrified adolescents, and those children's parents. The poor man had to give a hundred free tokens to each child before the parents would calm down. Needless to say Tommy and the Stabler's were asked to leave and not come back.

"Awe man, Tommy that was AWESOME!" Dickie said, slapping Tommy on the back. Even the girls congratulated him on a prank well played. Elliot wasn't as happy. As the exited the arcade he told the older kids to sit on a nearby bench. He kept Tommy back with him and Eli.

"Thomas" Elliot said, kneeling in front of the six year old putting one hand on the boy's left shoulder the other on the top of Eli's carrier. "Why did you do that?" he asked firmly. Tommy looked down at his shoes and started to cry. Elliot put a finger under Tommy's chin and lifted gently so that he could see the little boys face. "Just tell me bud."

"I didn't…hiccup…. I didn't mean toooo" Tommy said through his tears, wailing by the time he finished the sentence. "I was just playing with them and I dropped 'em and they made a really loud noise and then everybody started screaming. It reminded me of that night." Tommy's reference to the night his mother was murdered broke Elliot's heart.

"But then Dickie, and Elizabeth, and Kathleen, and even Maureen started laughing, and I knew they thought I did it on purpose so I played along. I'm sorry Da…Elliot." Tommy fell into Elliot's arms which quickly wrap around him, embracing the little boy in a hug. Elliot easily stood with the child, keeping him in his arms. He transferred Tommy to one hip and picked up Eli's carrier with his free hand. The other children saw them stand and silently maneuvered there way through the throng of people on the sidewalk until they were standing next to Elliot and the boys.

"We going home now Daddy?" Kathleen asked.

"Yeah, it's been a long day, we're going home." He watched the kids as they found the sibling they're getting along with best at the moment and took each others' hands. He smiled to himself, thinking that he really did have good kids, and it's small moments like that, that make him especially thankful for them.

The brood made their way back to the car quickly. Tommy fell asleep on Elliot's shoulder after only a couple of minutes of walking so Elliot had to try and slip him into his booster seat in the third row of the SUV without waking him. He somehow managed and the rest of the kids pilled in, careful not to wake the sleeping child. He latched Eli's carrier into its base and made sure it was properly secured before shutting the door and climbing into the driver's seat. Maureen was in the passenger seat next to him. Elliot knew the questions would start soon. Maureen was a worrier, she always had been even when she was younger than Tommy.

"Is he alright Daddy?" she asked quietly as Elliot put the car into reverse and pulled out of the parking spot.

"He'll be fine; he's just worn out from all the excitement."

The kids were silent in the backseat, Tommy and Eli were already asleep and he knew the rest would follow soon.

"Will we still go out with Liv tonight?" she asked.

"I don't know. We still have a few hours before we have to be there. I guess it just depends on how everyone is feeling" Elliot told her. The rest of the ride passed slowly. Maureen and Kathleen both fell asleep early in the ride. Elizabeth and Dickie played I Spy quietly. When they got home Elliot sent them all upstairs to take a short nap, and to his surprise they all complied. It was only three o' clock; they still had three hours until they were to meet Olivia. He hoped that by sending the kids to take a nap they would be well rested if the night went long. Elliot was at a loss as to what to spend his free time now; it wasn't often all the children were napping at the same time. He couldn't think of anything fun to do so he decided to work. He called Benson on her cell to see how the case was going and if they had come any closer to putting Jamie's mom behind bars. He dialed her number, he knew it by heart, and waited for his partner to pick up the phone.

"Benson" her voice came loud and clear out of the phone. He could tell she was drained by the sound of her voice; this case was getting to them both. It wasn't just that it was focused on a child, after all the majority of their cases had to do with children; it was more about this particular child. There was just something special about little Jamie. They all felt it, Elliot, Olivia, even the kids, Maureen and Kathleen, Dickie and Elizabeth, Tommy and Eli, they all knew there was something special about Jamie.

"Hey, it's me. Anything new with the case?"

Benson sighed over the phone. "Not much, we know that Jamie is her son. Ella collapsed in the squad room and we rushed her to the ER. She had retained products of conception, basically parts of the placenta were still attached and she was bleeding internally. She didn't admit anything until I told her the doctor already told me what had happened to her, it was a lie but she didn't know that. She told me that she had been raped, but with all the lies she's told, I don't know that I believe her. We haven't got much further than that." She paused and then started asking her own questions. "How about you? How's the day been so far? Are the kids having a good day?"

"Well we went to Chuck E. Cheese" Elliot paused and Olivia butted in with a light laugh.

"With six kids? By yourself? Are you crazy?" She laughed again, lightly teasing him.

"I must be, it went well at first and then Tommy had an accident."

"What happened? Is he okay?" Olivia panicked. Elliot realized how it must've sounded and quickly calmed her by explaining what had happened earlier.

"He's fine 'Liv. It wasn't that kind of accident. He dropped a handful of noisemakers and a bunch of kids panicked and that make their parents panic, meanwhile, Dickie and the others are cracking up and Tommy's just standing there looking shocked. Dickie thought Tommy had done it on purpose and congratulated him on a prank well pulled. I'll admit I thought he had done it on purpose too, and after the manager kicked us out I talked to Tommy about it. He said it had been an accident." Elliot paused in his retelling of the event. He knew this last part would hurt Olivia, he knew because it had hurt him too. "Then he told me that it reminded him of the night his birth father killed his mom. He fell asleep in my arms on the way back to the car and slept the entire ride home. All the kids are taking a nap now." Elliot didn't like the silence that followed. He wished he could be with Olivia. He hated not being there for her at times like these.

Olivia was quiet on the side of the phone and after a heartfelt sigh she confessed "I hate what that man did to Tommy. I hate that my boy has to live with the memory of that horrible night. I just don't know what to do El. I don't know how to help him forget. What do I do El?" Elliot wished more than anything he could be with her at that moment so her could hold her and tell her that everything would be okay.

"We can't take the memories from him, only time can do that. Look how far he's already come. He's not the same little boy we met in that hospital room."

"I know, I know" she said. Elliot heard a shuffle on her side of the phone and when she came back Olivia said "I gotta go, hug him for me will you? I'll see you all later tonight. We're still on, aren't we?"

"Will do. Of course we're still on. I wouldn't give this night up for anything. The kids are looking forward to it too."

"See you then."

"Bye Liv."


	8. Saturday's Satiated

Disclaimer: I don't own Law & Order: SVU

Title: Taboo Baby

Author: ReadingRed

Chapter Eight: Saturday's Satiated

The children had been asleep for a while when Elliot decided that while the quiet was nice, if he let them sleep much longer eventually they'd wake up and stay up all night. He did things the easy way and woke up his eldest, Maureen and let her wake up her siblings when he went and got the baby.

"Hey Eli" Elliot greeted the infant when he walked into the nursery to see his youngest up and alert.

Eli had managed to sit himself up and was gumming one of his teething toys. When he saw his father, the little boy dropped the toy and flapped his hands, motioning to his dad that he wanted to be picked up.

Elliot grinned at the baby and picked him up, carrying him gently to the changing table.

As he changed the baby, Elliot could hear the sounds of his older children, along with Tommy, waking up from their naps. The telltale sounds of little feet hitting hardwood floors resounded through the hallway and down the stairs. He finished changing the baby and dressed him and pair of jeans and a t-shirt that proclaimed "New Yorks Finest" above a simplified version of the badge all New York police officers wore. It had been a gift from Olivia and Elliot new she'd appreciate seeing Eli wearing it.

Thirty minutes after the children had woken up from their naps, they were all loaded up into the SUV and on their way to meet Olivia for pizza.

"Daddy, can Jamie come home with us soon? I don't like him being all alone in the hospital. It's not fair" Lizzie called from the backseat.

"Lizzie, we talked about this. Right now, the safest place for Jamie to be is at the hospital. Even when he's ready to leave, he's probably not going to come home with us. He has a family out there that has a right to him. Olivia and I are trying to find his daddy. When we do, he'll most likely want to keep Jamie."

Lizzie fell quiet and Elliot knew that it wasn't the answer she had been looking for. He hated for his kids to get their hopes up, but he knew at the same time that a part of him wanted the same thing. Seeing Ella be so careless when it came to her offspring, made him want to shake her, but at the same time, he wanted to simply offer to take the baby and be done with it.

The family pulled into the pizza joint minutes later and all of the children tumbled out of the large black SUV. Elliot went around the side to unbuckle Eli from his car seat. Maureen along with Kathleen, Lizzie, and the boys ran across the pavement and into the restaurant before Elliot could even yell out a warning to watch both ways.

When he and Eli entered, they saw that Olivia had beaten them there and was sitting at a round booth slightly too small to comfortably hold their large brood for much longer. Eliot waved off the hostess and grabbed a high chair for Eli with one hand and walked over to the table holding everyone he cared about in this life.

"Glad to see you made it," Olivia said as he sat down and placed Eli in the highchair.

"Let me tell you, there were moments when I wasn't so sure it would happen," Elliot joked.

The next ten minutes were filled with the children filling Olivia in on their day and her nodding or interjecting comments here and there to show that she was interested. Elliot resigned himself to the reality that this was how dates that included their children would inevitably go. He found tough, that he didn't mind in the least. In fact, seeing Olivia so invested in his children, so interested in what they wanted to tell her, only made him love her more.

The date when on, pizza was consumed, laughs were shared, and a family was gradually on its way to being formed.

Later that night after the children had been put to bed, and a bottle of wine had been opened, Benson and Stabler sank down onto the sofa in his living room.

"So, anything new on Jamie's case?" Elliot asked, not quite sure if he really wanted to know the answer.

"You'll never believe what we found out…"


End file.
